


Sea Air

by charlotte123456789



Series: Harry Potter One-Shots [21]
Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Dover, Friendship, Gen, M/M, Ocean, Running Away, Sad love, together
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-12
Updated: 2021-02-12
Packaged: 2021-03-12 03:40:08
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,047
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29378631
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/charlotte123456789/pseuds/charlotte123456789
Summary: He breathed in the cool sea air.
Relationships: Draco Malfoy/Blaise Zabini
Series: Harry Potter One-Shots [21]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2157993
Comments: 1
Kudos: 8





	Sea Air

Draco stared out at the ferry that would be taking him across the channel to France. Permanently.

The war had ended four months ago, four _long_ months ago. The time between then and now had felt so long but yet at the same time had passed so quickly.

His trial had been expedited, _the_ Harry Potter speaking for him in his trial had all but assured a quick release with no punishment. Everybody now saw him as ‘one of the good guys’.

He knew he wasn’t really. He wasn’t a ‘good guy’ but he wasn’t quite a ‘bad guy’ either. Just someone trapped in the middle of two sides, both pulling him so hard that he was tearing apart.

Whenever he went shopping, he found that people thanking him on the streets was new, however, the muttered insults and abuse that passed him by wasn’t.

It seemed that even though the masses now liked him, the larger dark community saw him as a traitor.

He could see no way to win.

Except to leave. Leave everything he knew, everything he held dear.

He stared at the large Muggle monstrosity. The white ship that could glide smoothly through the waves, towards France where he could live in relative solitude, left alone to his own devices.

“Draco.”

Draco turned sharply, pulling his eyes away from the sea view. “Blaise, what are you doing here?”

“I couldn’t let you leave. Not without seeing you. Please. Stay.” Draco shuddered as Blaise begged him, the decision to leave hadn’t been made lightly.

“I can’t, you know that. You know what has happened.” Draco stayed resolute as Blaise stared deep into his eyes.

“Please!” His shout drew the attention of some passers-by but both Draco and Blaise ignored them. Blaise leant forward and grasped Draco’s hands “Stay, time heals all wounds, it’ll all pass soon. Time heals all wounds.”

Draco snapped at Blaise, tearing his hands out of Blaise’s hold. “Well time can heal, but this won’t.”

He picked up all of his shattered pride and tried to piece it back together as well as possible, “I will never have any peace here, please, _please_ just let me leave. You’ll be better off without me.”

He didn’t bother to hear Blaise’s reply as he stormed away.

He strode towards the port area. It was still too early to board but he couldn’t stay. Couldn’t let Blaise try and change his mind. Because if he had listened, then there was a good chance that Blaise could have convinced him. Convinced him of a better life together if he let him in.

He found himself by the small area of beach, the grey storm walls weathered and battered by the sea. He sat down on the uncomfortable stones, staring out into the sea, churning blue, green, and grey as the waves rolled in kicking up any small stones in its path.

He felt like the stones did, picked up, rolled around then thrown back onto the floor only for the cycle to repeat. No rest. To be forever smashed to pieces until it was ground down into sand. Nothing left to see.

He sat their breathing in the cool sea air. It was meditative even with the harsh analogy. Calming even, not having to think about anything, just breathing.

He was pulled out of his thoughts upon hearing the stones clattering as somebody moved behind him. “Draco.” It was Blaise again. Draco said nothing as he sat down beside him.

The crashing waves and deep breaths the only sounds between them.

“Please explain, tell me _why.”_

Draco inhaled, he was silent for a moment, staring out at the rough silhouette of France.

“Do you know that I spent six months stuck in a house with _Voldemort?_ My parents were already terrified of him, they tried sending me to school. But why would you send someone as _important_ as _me_ to school? Why would you do that when I could be doing _real work?_ I spent six months having to follow _him_ around, _learning_ he said it was, for when I would _replace_ my father. Six months, _six months_ I spent wondering if I would be the person _he_ turned his wand on next when he got _bored_ of who he was with. It was constant anxiety, _panic._ Would it be me, my father, _my mother_ ? Then it _was_ me, and I remember every single minute of it. It was _awful._ Then Potter came and freed everyone and told everyone of what a hero I was for ‘ _keeping his attention away from the masses’._

Draco didn’t dare look at Blaise as he laid his soul bare. He had never spoken of this to anyone properly. There was nobody he trusted.

“Except, people now try and claw at me, hug me, get _just a few_ moments of my attention. And that’s just the ones who like me. Many now _loathe_ me and the amount of curses and jinxes I have had to _suffer…_ All I want to have is some peace. Without me constantly on edge, being torn apart by the two sides of the war. _Is that too much to ask for_?”

Draco let out the breath he hadn’t realised he was holding, letting go of the rush of emotions that had threatened to consume him when speaking of his past.

He got up, not looking at Blaise, “Goodbye.”

Draco walked off the beach. He did not look back at Blaise, he was doing this for himself, so he would not break under the stress of Britain.

He got through passport control easily and boarded the ferry, although still cold and windy from how high he was on the ferry he wandered about the upper deck.

The horn sounded and he watched silently as the huge engines turned the rudders moving the large ship away and out of port.

“Draco.” He started, looking behind him. It was Blaise.

“Why? What are you even doing here?” What was happening? He was leaving. It was final.

“If you can’t stay _with me_ then I’ll just have to go _with you_.” Draco watched as Blaise strode forward, stopping just in front of him. Offering his hand to hold.

Draco inhaled the sea air. Calming, meditative. He took Blaise’s hand.


End file.
